1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing reels, and more particularly, relates to a simple means of securing the central spool shaft of a fishing reel to an oscillator slide that imparts reciprocating motion to the spool shaft.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It has been customary in the better open face fishing reels to cause the spool attached to the spool shaft to oscillate or reciprocate back and forth as the fishing line is being wound on the spool. One method of imparting such reciprocating motion is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,617 wherein a center shaft has a pair of spaced circular grooves which cooperate with a yoke member that is secured to the inside face of the drive gear. In another much better method, taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,739, a dual C-shaped retainer clip secures an oscillator slide that is driven by an eccentric pin on the face of the oscillator gear to the center spool shaft. In both teachings, the oscillator mechanism pushes on the outside area of the clip means which is made from very thin sheet metal stock. These thin clips have only the thickness of the metal, from which they are formed, to withstand the shearing action between the dual grooves (in the shaft) and the oscillator means. It has been observed that a much thicker shear piece and a single groove in the spool shaft would be much more advantageous, but such an arrangement does not seem to be available in current fishing reels.